Monday, January 21, 2008

On this day, we Americans celebrate the life of one of our most renown civic leaders: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was not a president, nor did he ever hold any political office. Yet, his life embodied the same fundamentals that this nation was built upon: the belief that, when we come together, we are capable of being something greater than we are separately.

His beliefs were punctuated by some of the most memorable speeches and essays ever brought into the collective conscious of not only America, but the world as a whole. He showed that the power of words can make a difference, that they can leave a legacy long after the person who penned them has left this earth.

His most famous speech, known as the "I Have A Dream" speech is included below. I want you to listen closely to the way it is structured. Listen to the way he brings together the notion of different places, different people, and different beliefs into one unified whole. As a creative person, there is a lesson to be learned here.

When you are tapping creativity, it is important to keep every possibility open, no matter how unlikely it may seem. Those we revere as innovators and forward-thinkers become that way for refusing to believe that the way things have always been is the way things always have to be. They can bring seemingly conflicting ideas into harmony. They can inspire those who follow to try harder, to believe that there can be a new way--a better way--if you have the dream and are willing to do whatever it takes to make it a reality.